This invention relates to a micro-strip antenna apparatus and a wireless communication system utilizing such apparatus. More particularly, this invention relates to a micro-strip antenna apparatus having a number of antenna elements and arrays integrated with substrates of smart materials, such as piezoelectric devices, and to a system employing such apparatus for enabling wireless communication to and/or from smart structures.
A so-called smart patch may be surface mounted or embedded in a structure (such as helicopter rotor blades, high-speed machinery, and so forth). Such smart patch may include a sensor or sensors, an actuator or actuators, associated electronics, and/or a control circuit. A structure containing one or more smart patches is referred to as a smart structure.
Smart patches in a smart structure may operate as sensors so as to detect a predetermined characteristic (such as strain) of the respective structure. Additionally, such smart patches may operate as actuators so as to cause a predetermined force, torque, or the like, to be imposed on the respective structure. Ultimately, such smart patches may be utilized both as sensors and as actuators.
A significant concern in placing smart patches in or on smart structures involves power delivery and communications thereto. That is, power and/or signal lines are normally provided between each smart patch and a central control or processing device so as to enable power to be delivered to a desired number of the smart patches and to enable communication with such smart patches which may involve providing control signals thereto and/or to permit feedback signals to be received therefrom. As is to be appreciated, such use of power and/or signal lines may limit the application wherein smart patches may be effectively utilized, or may make the installation of smart patches into a structure relatively costly and difficult. Furthermore, inclusion of wires and signal lines in a structure may cause structural degradation and therefore rapid fatigue.
The present invention enables smart patches to receive power and/or transmit signals and/or communicate with a central control device without the use of power and/or signal lines. More particularly, in the present invention, smart patches may receive power signals and may communicate with the central control device in a wireless manner over a predetermined frequency range (such as a microwave frequency range). Accordingly, the above-described problems and/or disadvantages associated with power and signal lines may be eliminated with the present invention.